The Current Affairs Committee is responsible for exploring the role of local and regional authorities with regard to the major challenges of our society and preparing work on thematic issues such as social cohesion, education, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, youth participation, integration of migrants, protection of children, and gender equality from the point of view of the Council of Europe’s core values. Recently, new challenges have surfaced to which the Congress - in particular through its Current Affairs Committee - reacted, elaborating coherent and credible policies for preventing radicalisation, for the management of migration and the improvement of integration policies.

In the framework of its mandate, the Current Affairs Committee prepares reports, including a resolution and/or recommendation presented for adoption during the Congress sessions. It organises debates on current affairs, urgent situations and crises affecting local and regional authorities of the Council of Europe member states, with a view to recommending concrete responses.

It may also propose activities to the Bureau for advancing local and regional democracy, in accordance with the priorities set by the Congress, and organise conferences, hearings and other events on matters within its specific terms of reference and which are linked to its work programme.  Furthermore, it prepares the Congress contribution to other Council of Europe activities that come within its competence.

In addition, the Committee follows the activities of and maintains working relations with the relevant Council of Europe bodies, in particular the subsidiary bodies of the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly, according to the issues that it treats.